Weekend Box Office Report: March 23-25, 2018

Pacific Rim Uprising battles to the top!

Gigantic mechs stomped back into theaters with the sequel PACIFIC RIM UPRISING and took control of the box office this weekend with an estimated $28 million!

The kaiju-fighting machines led by STAR WARS actor John Boyega had enough power to finally dethrone BLACK PANTHER, which had clutched first place for five straight weekends.

The PG-13 PACIFIC RIM follow-up got off to a slower start than the $37.2 million opening of Guillermo del Toro's original monster mash. That 2013 release went on to $101 million domestic and $411 million worldwide (apparently enough to justify another entry despite PACIFIC RIM's $190 million price tag).

Directed by Steven S. DeKnight (the guy behind the cartoonishly violent "Spartacus" TV series), PACIFIC RIM UPRISING cost a reported $150 million. The new chapter in the war against colossal creatures collected an additional $122.5 million from overseas for a $150.5 million worldwide opening weekend.

Critics didn't catch the drift of the latest clash between metal men and city-smashing invaders, giving it an average of 46% on Rotten Tomatoes. You can check out the JoBlo review HERE.

BLACK PANTHER was finally nudged from the top, but had a solid landing in second place with $16.6 million.

Even as it was pushed out of first place, Marvel's Wakandan phenomenon continues to set records — with a total of $630.9 million, it has now passed the $623 million finish of THE AVENGERS to become the biggest comic book movie in domestic history.

At the same time, BLACK PANTHER leapt over the $619 million total of the recent STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI to become the fifth highest-grossing domestic release ever, leaving only JURASSIC WORLD, TITANIC, AVATAR and STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS ahead of it.

In addition, T'Challa's current worldwide total of $1.23 billion has crawled over the $1.21 billion finish of IRON MAN 3, making BLACK PANTHER the biggest solo superhero movie of all time.

The faith-based drama I CAN ONLY IMAGINE held onto third place with $13.8 million, only losing a slight 19% of business from its opening last weekend. The movie about the titular Christian song has a ten-day domestic total of $38.3 million (on a reported $7 million cost).

SHERLOCK GNOMES performed the best out of the weekend's non-Jaeger new releases, opening in fourth with $10.6 million.

The animated sequel to 2011's GNOMEO AND JULIET brought back James McAvoy and Emily Blunt for another trip to the garden, but it couldn't live up to the $25.3 million opening of the original, which went on to nearly $200 million worldwide.

The $59 million follow-up didn't draw many critics in to its PG-rated mystery, currently holding an average of 21% on Rotten Tomatoes.

In fifth place was the latest adaptation of TOMB RAIDER with $10.4 million, slipping by 55% from last week's opening for a ten-day domestic total of $41.7 million. The $94 million relaunch with Alicia Vikander as the videogame heroine has made a stronger impression worldwide, climbing to a global total of $211.7 million.

Director Ava DuVernay's $100 million adaptation of A WRINKLE IN TIME was in sixth place with $8 million, taking it to a domestic total of $73.8 million on its third weekend in cinemas.

The teen drama LOVE, SIMON was in seventh place with $7.8 million, dipping 33% from its opening last weekend. The gay coming-of-age story adapted by director Greg Berlanti (of TV's "The Flash", "Arrow" and numerous other superheroes) has a ten-day domestic total of $23.7 million on a reported cost of $17 million.

Opening in eighth place was the biblical tale PAUL, APOSTLE OF CHRIST with $5 million.

Timed for the upcoming Easter holiday, the PG-13 religious story with THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST star Jim Caviezel (this time playing apostle Luke) only cost a reported $5 million. Critics didn't have an abundance of praise for the depiction, giving it a 35% average on Rotten Tomatoes.

Toward the bottom, R-rated comedy GAME NIGHT was in ninth with $4.1 million for a $60.8 million domestic total, and the new teen romance MIDNIGHT SUN (featuring Bella Thorne and Arnie's son Patrick Schwarzenegger) opened in tenth with $4.1 million.

Outside the chart, PETER RABBIT hopped away with horror sequel THE STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT, Jennifer Lawrence's spy movie RED SPARROW and the Bruce Willis remake of DEATH WISH.

Director Steven Soderbergh's UNSANE was released on 2000 screens for a mild $3.8 million opening. Audiences didn't seem interested in the thriller with "The Crown" star Claire Foy, but critics approved of the iPhone-filmed experiment with a 78% average on Rotten Tomatoes (the JoBlo review is HERE).

Meanwhile, Wes Anderson's whimsical stop-motion movie ISLE OF DOGS trotted into 27 locations and made $1.5 million, a handsome $58k per-screen average before it expands wide on April 6. Critics adored the scruffy animated story with an average of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes (the JoBlo review is HERE).

Next week has Steven Spielberg's adaptation of READY PLAYER ONE (opening on Thursday), while Taraji P. Henson leads the thriller TYLER PERRY'S ACRIMONY.

What is your all-time favorite movie adapted from comics? VOTE HERE!